A black screen. The escalating hum of cicadas. One word appears on screen as the noise stops. Silence. Then, the camera slowly reveals hot springs in the Japanese mountains, almost a beautiful sight until you realise why we are there. Five western missionaries are having the scalding hot water poured slowly over their skin, while a sixth, Padre Ferreira, is forced to watch.

It’s a stark, disturbing and gripping opening to Martin Scorsese’s latest. It lets you know that you are in for a harrowing 161 minutes, as relayed by someone in complete control of his craft. Silence is a masterpiece and it led to probably the most profound spiritual encounter I’ve ever had in a cinema.

Nathanael Smith

About me

Ever since I watched The Lion King as a four year old I've loved cinema. As I grew up, my love of cinema met my flair for writing and I started expressing my obsession through aping the film reviews of the magazines I read.

Over time, I stopped copying the film magazines and started writing in a way that interested me more. I developed an abiding love for animated cinema, started exploring films from around the world and slowly but surely worked on improving my knowledge of the great directors of history.

I'm very much still enjoying that process and my film writing is part of that journey to discover cinema's many riches.

This website is a simple portfolio that will link you to various bits of my writing and reviewing around the web. It doesn't cover everything I've done, but it should give you a flavour of my work. Enjoy!